


An Education in Bourbon... or The Art of Seducing a Teacher

by kachera



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-31
Updated: 2011-03-31
Packaged: 2017-10-17 10:22:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/175838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kachera/pseuds/kachera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damon sets out to teach Alaric a thing or two about bourbon. Let the seduction begin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Education in Bourbon... or The Art of Seducing a Teacher

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to LiveJournal. Moved here for safe keeping.  
> Semi-continuation of [You Can't Always Get What You Want](http://archiveofourown.org/works/175837). That story sets up their relationship as I see it, but this story can be read as a stand alone. The bourbons listed are all ones I've tried myself (research for this story was hard, man. *grin*) Descriptions are my own. Your own experience may differ.

**Fandom** : The Vampire Diaries  
 **Pairing** : Damon/Alaric  
 **Length** : ~5800 words  
 **Disclaimer** : Written for fun, not profit. I do not own these characters - they belong to The Vampire Diaries.  
 **Rating** : M for Mature. There be explicit nakedness ahead, also some blood (Damon *is* a vamp after all).  


Warnings: Detailed description of whiskey smells and tastes. If you've had a traumatic whiskey incident and the mere memory may cause you to hurl, this is likely not the story for you. Or just skim to the end. There is whiskey-free sexin' at the end.

Alaric arrived at the boarding house to see that Damon had set up a small cup of ice and a series of five glasses and bottles along the bar table, but Damon himself was not in the room.

Momentarily confused, Alaric called out, confident Damon would hear him where ever he was. "There are extra glasses. Are you expecting someone else tonight?"

Not waiting for a reply, he took off his coat and made his way into the room. He thought this evening was just going to be the two of them like usual. Just as he settled into what had become his end of the couch, he caught sight of Damon coming down the stairs and allowed his gaze to linger. He was wearing a dark button down shirt and jeans and looked positively devastating. Alaric laughed quietly as he saw the smirk Damon pulled when he met Alaric's look. The cocky bastard was clearly aware of the image he created.

This thing between them had become a regular occurrence, though it still felt slightly unreal. By any definition they were friends. They hung out together, they talked, they called when they needed an extra set of hands to go kill something. Alright, so maybe that last part meant what they had wasn't a purely traditional friendship. Still, Alaric couldn't complain about how things had turned out; they'd found an understanding with each other, a no bull-shit honesty. The fact that more often than not their time together ended in toe tingling orgasms with no strings attached was just a bonus.

Damon answered Alaric's earlier question as he stepped onto the main floor, "The extra glasses are so that you can learn to fully appreciate my impeccable selection of bourbon. Clearly you need instruction." Damon walked over to the bar and opened each bottle to pour a small sample into each seperate glass. Then he picked up the first glass, smelled it and made a disappointed frown, before he leaned his hip up against the back of the couch next to Alaric and handed it over.

"You've actually planned this out?" Alaric was used to Damon surprising him, but a lesson on bourbon? He hadn't seen that coming.

"Of course I've planned this. Have you met me? Lesson number one: Bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskeys are bourbon. It's like Scotch. Scotch is a whiskey but gets it's own sub-category because it's all about being made in Scotland. Bourbon is a whiskey made in the US, mostly from corn mash." He paused seeing Alaric's slightly skeptical expression. "I do expect you to remember this, you know."

Alaric was amused by how serious Damon seemed to be about this. "Will there be a test? Should I be taking notes?"

Damon glared at Alaric's flippant reply, but carried on pointing to the glass Alaric was currently holding. "People who don't know any better start there. I picked up that Jim Bean crap just so I could show you how much better real bourbon should be."

Alaric smirked up at Damon, fairly sure this was some sort of game or maybe a personal insult he just hadn't figured out yet. "Are you really going to review each of these for me? I've helped you empty more than one bottle before, to say nothing of the bottles I went through before I met you. I think I know what I'm doing."

Damon smiled indulgently. "See, there's where you're wrong. You were drinking, but you weren't appreciating the craft behind really good alcohol." He shifted slightly and crossed his legs at the ankle, still leaning back against the couch. "You need to learn to slow down and taste what you're drinking or I'll stop serving you my high end stuff. Seriously." He nudged Alaric's arm and Alaric obligingly took a sip of the first glass. It was pretty much what he expected, spicy on his tongue and hot in his throat as he swallowed.

"That one is really just to set the bar. Take another sip and we'll move on. The others will all have more to offer."

Alaric raised an eyebrow as he realized Damon really was planning on walking him through his bar selections. He also noticed he was the only one drinking for a change, which was a little suspicious. "You aren't going to join me?"

Damon flashed teeth in a quick grin having apparently picked up that Alaric wasn't entirely sure of his intentions. "Absolutely. But I won't bother with that one." He waved his hand at is dismissively. "It's the equivalent of Budweiser to beer; I could drink it, but I know better." Alaric had no trouble believing Damon simply wouldn't stoop to drinking low end alcohol, and he dismissed his fleeting thought that Damon had slipped some sort of poison into his glass just for kicks. After Alaric obligingly took a second sip, Damon took the first glass from him and reached for the second. Again he smelled it first, but this time he made sure Alaric was watching as he flashed his own smirk and took a sip, then handed it over.

"Alright. This is Maker's. It's still on the light side, but it's starting to get some of the aromas and flavor you should find in a good bourbon. Try it and tell me what you get." Damon watched as Alaric lifted the glass and, copying Damon, smelled it first.

"It smells sweeter than the first one. Almost fruity."

Damon nodded, "It should. Now taste it and see if anything new comes out."

Alaric took another sniff before tasting, actually pausing to let the liquid sit on his tongue before swallowing. "Ok. I'll admit you may have a point. This one is smoother than the first. Still has the burn to it, but more like spice than straight fire." Alaric realized he was enjoying this. A month ago he never would have imagined he'd be sitting on Damon's couch spending the evening with Damon catering to him. If Damon's small smile and absolutely relaxed slouch was anything to go by, the other man was enjoying himself too.

Damon's smile got bigger, "I just might let you drink my better stuff if you keep up the good work." Alaric chuckled and took another sip from his glass - this one was pretty drinkable - as Damon stretched over to pick up the third glass. This time Damon swirled the amber liquid before lifting it to breathe in the aromas.

"We're starting to get into some very respectable bourbon now. This one is Old Rip Van Winkle. Ridiculous name, but a nice drink." Damon lifted the glass to his own lips and took a slow sip before swallowing. His tongue swept out to pick up a trace still lingering on his bottom lip as he held out the glass for Alaric. "See what you think of this."

Alaric hadn't had much to drink yet, the tastes had been just that, but seeing Damon savor that last drop had definitely caused the temperature to rise and his blood to divert from his head to somewhere lower. As he took the third glass from Damon's hand he had to mentally kick his brain back into gear. He brought the glass to his nose and breathed in, working to refocus on the task at hand.

"This one smells more like a campfire. Not as sweet as the one before." He was about to drink from it when Damon stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Hold up. Let me add a little water to it first. Lesson number two. Just a little water helps good bourbon open up. You'll get more aromas and flavor." He picked out one of the ice cubes that had been melting in the cup on the bar table and moved closer, still on the other side of the couch, to let a few drops fall into Alaric's glass. "Swirl that around and smell it again." Alaric didn't know what to expect, but sure enough after mixing in the minute amount of water, he could pick out several other notes he hadn't noticed before.

"It smells like a candied apple?" Alaric didn't think that could be right, but there it was. There was no time to dwell on the thought however as Damon chose that moment to bring the ice cube he was still holding up to his mouth to suck off the water before it dripped onto the floor. It had been a casual action, and Alaric couldn't tell if Damon was deliberately trying to turn him on (which it had) or if he just wanted to avoid getting the floor wet.

Damon laughed and reached over to put the ice cube back in the cup. "If that's what you smell, that's what you smell. I'm pretty sure the distillers would use more sophisticated language, something like 'caramel and fall fruit with pecans', but good enough." Alaric was very aware of Damon's closeness when he leaned back in and added, "Taste it."

Alaric's senses were definitely more tuned into his environment, even as his body was starting to hum in anticipation of skipping to the end of the evening. He heard the fabric of his shirt shush as he lifted the glass, felt the coolness of the rim as it touched his lip, and when he finally sipped, his tongue gave him a whole taste picture he'd never experienced before. Putting it into words seemed clumsy. "It's mellow, and sweet but not syrupy. Then spicy, but doesn't end as hot. Its thicker too, though not at all sticky. Definitely different from the other two."

Damon made a soft humming sound in agreement. "Well done. I'll make a bourbon drinker out of you yet." He tipped his head to the side as if he was considering something, then apparently changed his mind and resumed his tutorial. "Every good bourbon has it's own character, and the ones that have had more time in the cask before being bottled tend to hold richer flavors." He moved to the bar table again and picked up the fourth glass. This time he added the drops of water right away, and put the ice cube back in the cup. "I've tried a lot of bourbon over the years." He paused to lick his thumb and finger free of the ice water. "It's probably the closest thing I have to a hobby, and each one is a little different." As he came back to Alaric's end of the couch he hooked one leg up on the edge so that he was half sitting on the back of the couch. The move brought Damon's thigh up into Alaric's space and idly he wondered if Damon would let him pass on the last couple bourbons and move right into sampling Damon instead. His musing was interrupted when the fourth glass was held right in front of his face.

"Focus Rick. You really should get to the best ones before you get distracted." This time Alaric had no doubt Damon was aware of the direction he wanted their evening to go, and was deliberately drawing things out to torture him. It was also clear Damon planned to build things up a little more before agreeing to play along. "Lesson number three. The mix of grains used to make the bourbon can significantly change how it tastes. This is Woodford Reserve. It's still primarily corn mash, that's what makes it a bourbon, but the balance has more rye than the ones you've tried so far."

Alaric considered ignoring the glass in front of him and reaching for the man instead, but in the end decided to let the game play out. As Damon handed Alaric the glass he obligingly smelled it, then took a drink. The taste was up front and big, then settled into a spicy burn along his tongue. Alaric took a second sip before speaking, "This one is deeper, darker. Full of flavor but all low tones. I like it." To himself he added that it reminded him of Damon. He closed his eyes with that image in mind and took another taste, enjoying the burnt vanilla flavor, then licked his own lips and hummed to himself. He knew Damon was watching, turnabout was only fair.

When he opened his eyes Damon was indeed watching, and Alaric's tease had apparently worked. Despite his comment about finishing the bourbons first, Damon was currently looking at Alaric as if he was considering tasting him next. Pleased that he had managed to get under Damon's reserve, Alaric shifted on the couch turning to the side to more squarely face Damon.

Alaric got a perverse thrill out of recognizing that Damon was, at the end of the day, a predator. While Alaric was reasonably sure he wouldn't do any permanent damage to him, at times like this when the tension started to rise he was always hyper-aware that the possibility existed, and that possibility was a definite turn on. It wasn't that Alaric had any sort of death wish. He really didn't. Even with his ring, dying wasn't something he wanted to do again anytime soon. But the spark of adrenalin when his lizard brain kicked in and told his body it might need to fight or flee from the creature that could eat him - he had to admit it worked for him. It was also part of what had prompted him to stop adding vervain to his morning coffee.

Alaric hadn't decided if telling Damon about the change in his routine would be a good idea or not. Up to now the added vervain had ensured Damon wouldn't take blood from him no matter how carried away they got during sex, and at the start it had been very comforting. Alaric however had switched his routine a few days ago; now he simply carried it on him in a bracelet similar to Jeremy's to prevent being compelled by any wayward vamps. Even before he'd known Damon, Alaric had wondered what the whole experience would be like - getting bitten, having his blood slowly taken by something much less clinical than the Red Cross. He'd tried to imagine what his wife had been looking for with her vampire obsession. Since he'd started sharing other bodily fluids with Damon he'd thought about it more. What would adding that extra layer do, how would it change things if he let Damon take a little blood in the heat of the moment? He knew Damon could control himself when he wanted to, he'd proved that over the last few weeks. They might never say it, but they did trust each other with their lives.

Knowing he had his answer, Alaric decided to make Damon wait a little longer. The whole bourbon thing had been his idea after all, and really, if the last one was better then what he'd just had, Alaric did want to try it.

He gave Damon a wry smile, "Isn't there one more to try? Wouldn't want to be a quitter."

Damon lifted an eyebrow, acknowledging the jibe and chuckled softly. "Of course not, and yes, the best for last. Blanton's Original." He turned and moved to the table to add an extra splash from the short round bottle into the last glass making it a regular sized drink instead of just a taste. After adding one slightly melted ice cube he returned to lean on the back of the couch next to Alaric, then lifted the glass to breathe it in. Alaric couldn't help but notice how his shirt had lifted almost high enough to flash the skin at Damon's hip, but he returned his focus to Damon's face as he moved to take his first taste. Damon clearly enjoyed this one as he once again closed his eyes as he let the amber liquid stay on his tongue before swallowing. A moment later he took a big breath in and seemed to come back himself as he refocused on Alaric and handed him the glass.

Taking the glass, Alaric caught the familiar sweetness, but this time was reminded of chocolate. As he lifted the glass to take his own sip he locked his gaze with Damon's and the heat in that look was just as quick as the initial burn of the alcohol. It was bold, and a little smokey, but then quickly smoothed out with vanilla. After swallowing, a spicy sweetness showed up and rounded out the flavor. This bourbon had more shades of flavor and seemed somehow finished in a way Alaric hadn't realized had been missing from all the previous brands. Still holding Damon's gaze he took a second sip and stood up. He walked around the couch and handed the glass back to Damon who took his own second taste. As soon as Damon moved the glass down Alaric slid his hands to the sides of Damon's head and pulled him into a scorching kiss. He swept his tongue into Damon's mouth and chased the fiery bourbon flavor. He ran the fingers of one hand through Damon's hair, then moved his other hand to Damon's back, pulling him close. Damon was definitely kissing back, and Alaric could feel his mouth turn up in a smile through the press of their lips. Not to be outdone Damon angled a leg to add a new delicious pressure to the erection pressing against the front of Alaric's pants and swiveled his hips in a move likely illegal in several states.

Damon broke the kiss, a wicked smile playing across mouth. "Why Rick, are you trying to seduce me? I feel so used."

Alaric growled softly, not going to be put off any longer. "You started it."

Damon nodded once. "Very true." He got a mischievous look on his face. "Would you like to move this upstairs?"

At this point Alaric would have agreed to pretty much any setting, but he was somewhat surprised by the offer. In all their previous encounters, they'd never made it upstairs. They kept getting carried away before that part; finding their release in the living room, the kitchen, and once even the garage.

"As long as I get you out of those clothes in less than five minutes, sure. Whatever you want." He stepped back and Damon headed for the stairs, still carrying the glass of Blanton's as Alaric followed.

Damon led Alaric to one of the bedrooms upstairs and walked directly to the bedside table to put the glass down. Alaric took the opportunity to look around the room. Bookshelves lined one wall, patio doors on the other. It was decorated in mostly dark earth tones and antique furniture, and of course the bed was luxuriously over-sized. It suited Damon, but Alaric wasn't really interested in the furnishings at the moment. He crossed the room and stepped into Damon's space, pulling him into another kiss and unbuttoning his shirt before Damon could add any new witty comments. Damon apparently agreed with the agenda and his fingers were quickly skimming up Alaric's sides to lift the Henley shirt off the taller man. They both started toeing off their shoes and boots while trying to continue the kiss. That maneuver didn't end as well as they'd hoped, as Alaric lost his balance and ended up pulling Damon down onto the bed with him.

"Graceful." Damon grunted as he worked to free one arm from where it had ended up pinned beneath Alaric's body.

"Shut up." Alaric helped by half rolling to one side as he finally succeeded in getting his shoes off, letting them fall to the floor. Able to finally focus on Damon, Alaric moved to partially straddle him and tracked a path of wet kisses from Damon's mouth, along his jaw, and over to his ear. Taking a moment to nip playfully there, he smiled at Damon's groan of approval, then moved lower to taste the skin of Damon's collar bone. Alaric had never been so aware of his sense of smell and taste before. The spice of faded cologne. Some earthy hair product. The lingering scent of his leather jacket still along his neck. Alaric was fascinated, trying to track down all the scents on Damon's body and he nosed and licked across his skin. It occurred to Alaric that Damon likely always noticed these things with his enhanced senses. No wonder the man was such a hedonist.

As he moved his mouth across Damon's ribs, Damon squirmed slightly before he stilled again, abs tensed. Alaric paused and looked up in sudden realization, "You're ticklish. You know I'm going to use that against you."

Damon lifted his head and glared, "Try it. See if I play nice." It was a dare that Alaric knew better than to take. At least not until Damon was much, much more distracted.

Alaric laughed, "Big baby." He took a playful bite at Damon's hip bone, then started undoing his jeans. Once unzipped, Alaric sat back to remove Damon's socks and pull the pants off, tossing them carelessly to the floor. Their previous encounters had always been rushed and full of urgency. It meant Alaric had never seen Damon completely naked before, so this time he took the opportunity to appreciate the man in front of him. He was beautiful - the pale skin, dark hair, devious glint in his eye. Ok, so maybe Alaric had a type, though Damon certainly had more muscle than Isabel. While Alaric was enjoying the view, Damon propped one arm under his own head so that he'd be better able to watch what Alaric was up to. He seemed content, and in no hurry for Alaric to get down to business.

Alaric wasted no time however, and traced a hand up the inside of Damon's thigh ending in a firm grasp around his cock. He stroked his hand along Damon's length, then bent down to lick along Damon's belly. Damon let out a sigh and tipped his head back into the pillows, clearly happy to let Alaric choose their direction. Alaric didn't have a lot of experience in bed with men. He'd married Isabel young, and had only had a couple brief encounters with men before that. He was, however, very sure of what he liked himself and he already knew that Damon simply enjoyed enjoying himself and wasn't picky about how it happened. Alaric felt no pressure to try anything he wasn't up for, which considering how many years Damon had on him in the sex department, was one hell of a relief.

Alaric tilted his face to the side and swept his tongue up the side of Damon's cock. Already primed with the heat and spice from the bourbon, Alaric catalogued the new taste - a little salt, faint hint of soap from earlier in the day, some breezy fabric softener. Reaching the tip he caught a sharper more bitter taste, familiar from earlier nights together but never before sampled directly from the source. As Alaric breathed in and moved his tongue across the tip a second time he heard Damon's hiss of appreciation and felt him arch his torso up off the bed in a controlled, slow movement clearly meant to avoid dislodging Alaric from his new exploration. Encouraged, Alaric positioned himself a little more above Damon and moved to fit the whole head into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the end. He didn't go any further than that, but was rewarded with a soft gasp from Damon as he gripped the bedsheets to his sides. Alaric experimented with alternately sucking on the end and sliding his hand along the shaft, then bringing his other hand down to cup and gently tug at Damon's balls. In a very short time Damon started to tense as he fought against pushing Alaric for more. Finally Damon gave up his passive role with a growl and pulled Alaric up and flipped their positions.

Damon dove for Alaric's mouth and swept his tongue inside, kissing him with an intensity that shot through Alaric's body. After a moment of simply kissing, Damon pushed himself up and made fast work of removing Alaric's pants and socks, then slid his body up along Alaric's side creating the perfect balance of friction and sensation as skin met skin. With all the added sensation from full body contact Alaric could get off with nothing more than rubbing up against Damon's erection, but tonight Damon seemed determined to give as good as he got. Alaric watched as Damon moved down to straddle one of his legs and brought his mouth to Alaric's cock. He was mesmerized as Damon's tongue peeked out and slid slowly up from base to tip. The feeling was incredible. When Damon added a quick flick to the end it caught Alaric off guard and he bucked his hips upward into Damon's steady hold. When Damon took the end into his mouth and started a combination of slow suction and hand movement Alaric forgot how to breathe and ended up gasping in great lungfuls of air. Alaric was seconds away from losing it when Damon abruptly pulled up and tipped his head back, hands still holding Alaric's hips to the bed.

The sudden stop snapped Alaric out of his haze and he forced himself to focus and look at his partner. Damon had closed his eyes, but Alaric could see the other changes to Damon's face - sharpened teeth, dark veining beneath his eyes, and when Damon opened his eyes and looked at Alaric there was no white left. Seeing Damon in full vamp mode sent a thrill of fear singing through Alaric's body. He had, after all, been on the wrong end of a set of fangs before, but in this moment it only added to the experience. Alaric brought his hands up and tugged on Damon's arms, drawing him closer and pressing their cocks together, thrusting purposefully to show he was still in the game. After a moment of concentration Damon blinked and was then looking at Alaric with his usual piercing blue eyes, a familiar smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. It was part of his appeal. Alaric knew Damon was comfortable with who and what he was and felt no shame in showing his darker side. He also knew he had it under control.

Alaric was still half panting when he spoke, body pressed up against Damon. "Remember when you said that it was totally unfair that I was the only one getting to do any biting?"

Damon cocked his head to the side and nodded, curious about where Alaric was going with the conversation. "For the record I still feel that way, but I can make do."

Alaric huffed out a short laugh and muttered, "Drama queen" to which Damon simply raised an eyebrow.

Alaric bent one leg to press his thigh against Damon's hip. "That may be true, but just so you know, you can take a taste now if you want. I stopped drinking vervain a couple days ago." His offer was genuine, but he still felt a tightness in his chest as he waited uncertainly for Damon's response.

The expressions shifted across Damon's face; surprise, mistrust, and finally a tentative desire. Damon stared right into Alaric's eyes trying to read any unspoken motives or reservations. When he spoke, his tone was quiet and sincere in a way Alaric rarely heard. "Of course I want. I go through every day wanting, but that doesn't mean we have to go there." For all his confidence and attitude Damon didn't have many people he trusted, and Alaric's offer had clearly caught him by surprise.

Alaric nodded. "I appreciate that, but the offer still stands." He moved a hand up to the back of Damon's neck. "I've wondered what it would be like. And apparently I believe you'll stick with tasting - I still have no interest in dying. Even temporarily." He emphasized the last bit with a tug on Damon's head and a stern look. Damon simply grinned though it lacked some of his usual cockiness, then leaned in to capture Alaric's lips with his own. The kiss was full of heat but not aggressive. Alaric thought it felt a lot like a thank you.

As the kiss continued, Damon once again moved his hips in a slide-roll move Alaric knew he'd never be able to duplicate. It brought a groan of satisfaction from both of them. Alaric dragged one hand down Damon's side and took hold of Damon's leg just under his ass and pulled him tighter against his groin. Damon supported some of his own weight on one elbow though he'd kept himself just close enough that their chests slid against each other in a maddeningly light contact as they rocked together. At some point Damon shifted a hand into Alaric's hair and pulled sharply. The unexpected pain brought a hiss from Alaric and sent a wave of tingling sensation down his body. Damon relaxed his grip and moved in for a quick, hard kiss, before nipping at Alaric's bottom lip, all the while continuing to grind his hips against Alaric's in a rhythm bound to get him off in short order. Damon timed his next tug on Alaric's hair to the moment just before Alaric shouted his release, which was when Damon bit down on the side of his neck. The pain and pleasure twisted into a wave that left Alaric dazed and gasping as he slowly came down from the most amazing orgasm he'd ever experienced. He was still relearning where all his limbs were when he felt Damon take his mouth away from his neck, licking at the skin once before moving back to look at Alaric.

Damon had stopped moving, though he was still laying mostly on top of Alaric. He brought one hand up to his own mouth and used his thumb to clean up the small trace of remaining blood not already swept away by his tongue. Then he stroked his hand through Alaric's hair, clearly waiting for Alaric to come back to his senses. Alaric was trying, but damn. He was a grown man with a full time job, years of experience, and still he could see how wanting to do that again could become an unhealthy obsession. Breathing seemed like a good place to start so he forced himself to take in an extra long breath, then let it out in a controlled exhale.

Damon smiled at him, "I take it you're not unhappy with how that turned out?" Alaric could only make an unintelligible grunt in response, words were still beyond him, but Damon seemed to understand as his grin got bigger. He leaned away to grab one of their shirts and proceeded to do a cursory clean up, then scooted up to prop himself against the head boars. Damon picked up the glass of bourbon, a glass Alaric had frankly forgotten about. Granted, at the moment, Alaric was pleased to be able to form any coherent thoughts. With a huge effort, he managed to convince his arms and legs to move and propped himself up in a similar position to Damon's with the help of several pillows.

Alaric reached for the bourbon, which Damon passed over without comment. It swirled on his tongue and slid down his throat with a welcome burn, and he passed the glass back. He had to clear his throat before he could speak. "I support your effort to teach me about bourbon. There is more to it than I imagined."

Damon laughed, "Good to hear. As it turns out you're a quick learner. I'll even let you choose which one you want to drink the next time you come by."

Alaric nodded and looked around the room again still trying to pull his brain together. "The room suits you. Didn't really know what to expect."

Damon burst out into laughter, then took hold of Alaric's arm to keep from rolling off the bed. Alaric was confused. "What?"

Damon was still laughing as he answered, "Nothing. Nothing. I'll just be sure to tell Stefan."

Alaric still wasn't tracking. "Stefan?"

Damon nearly had his laughter under control now. "Yeah. This is Stefan's room. Lots of space, very comfortable bed. I know our having sex in his room will piss him off when he gets home. It's perfect."

Alaric stared at Damon momentarily speechless. "You take annoying to whole new levels don't you."

Damon shot Alaric a smile, "Just part of my charm. You love it."

Alaric shook his head and couldn't help laughing. "So are you ever going to show me your room?" How Damon managed to be over 150 years old and still act like a teenager when it came to his brother amazed him.

Damon smiled and met Alaric's look. "Maybe. I haven't decided yet."

Alaric smirked. "Sure, you’ll sleep with me, you’ll feed from me, but you won’t show me your room. Nice.” He had meant his reply to be teasing, but Damon's expression became more closed off than it had been a moment ago, and his shoulders tensed just enough for Alaric to notice. As easy as they could be around each other, they both still had parts of their lives they hadn’t shared Clearly Damon’s bedroom fit in that category. They also had an unspoken agreement not to pry, at least most of the time.

Searching for a less sensitive topic Alaric cleared his throat and took a guess, "So, how many bourbon distilleries have you had a hand in over the years?"

Damon let out a breath chuckling, and the tension in his shoulders slowly eased away. "Always the history with you.” He took a deep breath and pursed his mouth as he sorted through the memories. “Well, in 1880 I did create the original bourbon cocktail at the Pendennis Club in Louisville. Gentlemans’ club; good liquor, easy meals. Then during prohibition I stepped in here and there. There was this one guy I met in 1926 who was trying to smuggle barrels south to Louisiana..."

Alaric let his head fall back onto the pillows and listened as Damon talked. They were laying close enough that Damon's arm brushed against Alaric's chest as he added hand motions to his story, and once in a while Damon would rub his toes against Alaric's leg. Alaric was comfortable. Damon seemed pretty comfortable too. Yes, they still big problems to deal with in Mystic Falls, they hadn't forgotten that, but the relationship they'd formed worked as a way to take a break from it, even if just for a few hours. Alaric closed his eyes as he listened to Damon tell his story. There would be plenty of things to worry about later.  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks: Huge thank yous to [](http://alittleblue.livejournal.com/profile)[**alittleblue**](http://alittleblue.livejournal.com/) , [](http://hammerhead22.livejournal.com/profile)[**hammerhead22**](http://hammerhead22.livejournal.com/) , and [](http://silviakundera.livejournal.com/profile)[**silviakundera**](http://silviakundera.livejournal.com/) who agreed to beta for me. They all made this story better and made me a better writer.


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